Seems like a bunch of random links in support of a predetermined conclusion.
The declining usage of, or presence of dishwashers, isn't supported in any way. Yes, they are more efficient based on a law that was passed in 2013, and another that will come into effect in 2027. The 20% usage statistic doesn't say if that's increasing or decreasing. People watching Tiktok doesn't indicate anything about their current or previous behavior. The claim about tiny homes is contradicted by the same article suggesting that people moving to the city want more, not less dishwashers.
This government study from 2015 which seems to be the source of the "20% don't use weekly" stat suggests that it's mostly the poor who don't use their dishwashers:
> Federal efficiency standards transformed dishwashers into marathon cleaners. Modern machines take 2.5 to 4 hours per cycle—a far cry from the quick turnarounds families actually need. The Department of Energy’s push for water conservation limits new models to 5 gallons per cycle, with proposals dropping that to 3.2 gallons by 2027. You get cleaner dishes eventually, but “eventually” doesn’t work when kids need their lunch containers ready for tomorrow morning.
I bought one recently. There's a fast cycle. The manual indicates the option uses more energy and water; it completes in ~30 minutes. All the other dishwashers we looked at had a similar feature.
My family of four is usually just fine with the ~3 hour cycle. It corresponds quite well with our three meals a day; the lunch containers are most certainly clean by "tomorrow morning".
> Your dishwasher demands $600 to $1,200 upfront, plus $200 to $400 when specialized parts inevitably fail. Annual operating costs hit $60 to $130 for efficient models, reaching $218 for older units depending on local energy rates. Compare that to handwashing: immediate results, zero equipment investment, and complete control over timing. The math increasingly favors the sink.
If you value your time (and a lifetime of skin/joint wear-and-tear) at $0/hour, sure. And the sink has its own upfront ($500-$1000; https://www.homedepot.com/b/Kitchen-Kitchen-Sinks-Drop-in-Ki...) and operating (sponges, hot water, more water per washed dish) costs.
Am I unhygienic? I grew up with a dishwasher, but since leaving home I just give a dish a ten second scrub in hot water with a sponge and dish soap, make sure there are no visible food particles, and set it out to dry. Am I flirting with danger by failing to sterilize my plates? I have room for a dishwasher, I just don't see the point.
You don’t need to run a sterilization cycle unless someone in your household has special medical needs like a compromised immune system or you’re cleaning baby bottles.
I quite don't understand the issue, yes they do take some time to do the dishes but modern machines have very efficient water consumption compared to hand washing the same load.
Mine takes about 3.5h to clean in eco-mode. I set it to run just before I go to bed so it's everything is crisp and dry well before I wake up.
The win for me is time, less dry hands and a little happiness that I've not wasted too much clean water.
If they’re fully dry by morning, that implies the machine is using a heating element for the dry cycle. In that case, I’d be for more concerned about the power usage than the water usage.
Most machines will let you disable the heating element (used for drying, they often have one for heating the water which is still needed), which will give you the best of both options. There might be some pools of water left on some items, but if the door opens by itself, the hot water alone usually has enough energy to evaporate itself.
> If they’re fully dry by morning, that implies the machine is using a heating element for the dry cycle.
Modern dishwashers use better insulation coupled with the residual heat from washing to do a lot of the drying. Mine (LG) doesn't have a heating element for the air, just for the water. Known as "condensation drying".
> All Bosch dishwashers use a condensation drying process. Instead of utilizing a heating element at the bottom of a dishwasher, condensation drying involves a number of dishwashing elements that work together to efficiently dry your dishes. Condensation drying is more hygenic and energy efficient than drying with a heating element. Additionally, since Bosch dishwashers do not use a heating element, your plastics are safe in the lower rack.
As a bonus, it doesn't vent steam into my kitchen.
My dishwasher's manual says that it's more efficient to rinse even a few dishes in the dishwasher instead of hand rinsing (rinse, not a full wash). The manual shows the energy and water used for each function but I just can't bring myself to believe it...
(I live in Switzerland where water is so cheap they don't even put individual water meters on each apartment in a building but the electricity to heat the water up can be pricey)
Gawd, this is extremely unpopular to say in some circles especially in California (looking at you Boomers of Sierra Club), but a West Coast Manhattan project on how to sustainably desalinate Ocean Water would make most of these “lipstick on a pig” solutions moot.
“Don’t use too much water in the dishwasher, don’t grow almonds, don’t build too many apartments, we don’t have the water”
Getting screamed at with all this while living next to a literal Ocean of water is just so tiringly frustrating.
In what bizarro-world universe does a 4 hour cycle prevent dishes from being clean by the next morning? Does this family sleep for fewer than 4 hours at night?
> Developers squeeze kitchens into spaces where full-size dishwashers become luxury items rather than standard fixtures.
I mean, ok, but that's just depressing capitalism making everything shittier, not actually a personal choice people are rationally making for themselves on the merits.
> Meanwhile, your DoorDash habit means fewer dishes hit the sink anyway. When dinner arrives in disposable containers, that $600 to $1,200 machine starts looking like expensive counter space you’ll never reclaim...
It feels nuts to talk about a doordash habit in one breath and the cost of the machine in the next. A "doordash habit" costs more than the price of a top of the line new machine every year.
>Limits new models to 5 gallons per cycle, with proposals dropping that to 3.2 gallons by 2027
This is why. Where I live, I and everyone can leave showers on 24/7 and there would still not be an impact in the amount of water in our area.
The only impact would be due to water treatment throughput. The various water departments refuse to increase throughput because they do not want to spend. Even with the current throughput, there is absolutely need for these water limits here.
We are being forced to live in a desert because of the Western part of the US.
I just checked my city's website and our residential water rate for 2026 is $2.97 per CCF (which is apparently "100 cubic feet" = 748 gallon, aren't Imperial Units beautiful). So, a dishwasher that's using 5 gallons of water every day will cost us 60 cents per month.
And this is residential water, which is vastly more expensive (and thus less wasteful) than agricultural usage, at least here in California.
Anybody who's trying to optimize this should re-examine their priorities.
* That said, my current dishwasher takes about 2.5 hours to run, and that was never a problem. If you can afford a home in California you can afford more than one set of dishes.
16 comments
[ 3.5 ms ] story [ 50.0 ms ] threadDining out is 285% more expensive than making food at home. I’ve never gotten food delivered but that adds additional costs of course.
The declining usage of, or presence of dishwashers, isn't supported in any way. Yes, they are more efficient based on a law that was passed in 2013, and another that will come into effect in 2027. The 20% usage statistic doesn't say if that's increasing or decreasing. People watching Tiktok doesn't indicate anything about their current or previous behavior. The claim about tiny homes is contradicted by the same article suggesting that people moving to the city want more, not less dishwashers.
This government study from 2015 which seems to be the source of the "20% don't use weekly" stat suggests that it's mostly the poor who don't use their dishwashers:
https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=31692
I'm guessing it's because their dishwashers are old and broken, and they can't afford to get a new one, not that they would because they rent.
I bought one recently. There's a fast cycle. The manual indicates the option uses more energy and water; it completes in ~30 minutes. All the other dishwashers we looked at had a similar feature.
My family of four is usually just fine with the ~3 hour cycle. It corresponds quite well with our three meals a day; the lunch containers are most certainly clean by "tomorrow morning".
> Your dishwasher demands $600 to $1,200 upfront, plus $200 to $400 when specialized parts inevitably fail. Annual operating costs hit $60 to $130 for efficient models, reaching $218 for older units depending on local energy rates. Compare that to handwashing: immediate results, zero equipment investment, and complete control over timing. The math increasingly favors the sink.
If you value your time (and a lifetime of skin/joint wear-and-tear) at $0/hour, sure. And the sink has its own upfront ($500-$1000; https://www.homedepot.com/b/Kitchen-Kitchen-Sinks-Drop-in-Ki...) and operating (sponges, hot water, more water per washed dish) costs.
Mine takes about 3.5h to clean in eco-mode. I set it to run just before I go to bed so it's everything is crisp and dry well before I wake up.
The win for me is time, less dry hands and a little happiness that I've not wasted too much clean water.
Most machines will let you disable the heating element (used for drying, they often have one for heating the water which is still needed), which will give you the best of both options. There might be some pools of water left on some items, but if the door opens by itself, the hot water alone usually has enough energy to evaporate itself.
Modern dishwashers use better insulation coupled with the residual heat from washing to do a lot of the drying. Mine (LG) doesn't have a heating element for the air, just for the water. Known as "condensation drying".
https://www.bosch-home.com/us/experience-bosch/tips-and-tric...
> All Bosch dishwashers use a condensation drying process. Instead of utilizing a heating element at the bottom of a dishwasher, condensation drying involves a number of dishwashing elements that work together to efficiently dry your dishes. Condensation drying is more hygenic and energy efficient than drying with a heating element. Additionally, since Bosch dishwashers do not use a heating element, your plastics are safe in the lower rack.
As a bonus, it doesn't vent steam into my kitchen.
(I live in Switzerland where water is so cheap they don't even put individual water meters on each apartment in a building but the electricity to heat the water up can be pricey)
“Don’t use too much water in the dishwasher, don’t grow almonds, don’t build too many apartments, we don’t have the water”
Getting screamed at with all this while living next to a literal Ocean of water is just so tiringly frustrating.
> Developers squeeze kitchens into spaces where full-size dishwashers become luxury items rather than standard fixtures.
I mean, ok, but that's just depressing capitalism making everything shittier, not actually a personal choice people are rationally making for themselves on the merits.
> Meanwhile, your DoorDash habit means fewer dishes hit the sink anyway. When dinner arrives in disposable containers, that $600 to $1,200 machine starts looking like expensive counter space you’ll never reclaim...
It feels nuts to talk about a doordash habit in one breath and the cost of the machine in the next. A "doordash habit" costs more than the price of a top of the line new machine every year.
This is why. Where I live, I and everyone can leave showers on 24/7 and there would still not be an impact in the amount of water in our area.
The only impact would be due to water treatment throughput. The various water departments refuse to increase throughput because they do not want to spend. Even with the current throughput, there is absolutely need for these water limits here.
We are being forced to live in a desert because of the Western part of the US.
And this is residential water, which is vastly more expensive (and thus less wasteful) than agricultural usage, at least here in California.
Anybody who's trying to optimize this should re-examine their priorities.
* That said, my current dishwasher takes about 2.5 hours to run, and that was never a problem. If you can afford a home in California you can afford more than one set of dishes.